Brittany has 1300 kilometres of coastal paths. These footpaths, suitable for both energetic hiking and gentle strolls, cover almost the entire perimeter of the coast, from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to Saint-Nazaire.
The customs officer’s pathways were created during the French Revolution by the customs authorities for surveillance of the coast and to combat smuggling and the pillaging of shipwrecks. The Breton coast was a favourite site for illegal landings of a vast range of smuggled goods.
Until the start of the twentieth century, hundreds of customs officers walked the coastal paths, day and night in all weathers, seeking to intercept any illegal landing of goods. Today, the pathways once used by the customs officers are protected sites, developed for walkers and hikers.
